Google Voice Encounters Problems Early On - FCC Violations?
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Not only has Google had to deal with being called a liar publicly by the leading computer company in the world, but it got even worse for the IT company when its Google Voice service was accused of breaking Federal law. On September 25, AT&T urged the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Google’s new service, claiming it blocks people from being able to call certain phone numbers, which may be a violation of federal telecommunications laws.
AT&T based their allegation on recent press reports claiming that Google Voice restricts its users from calling specific areas that have carriers who charge high access fees. The problem with this is that under federal law, other providers don’t have that option. AT&T’s letter to the FCC said that “by blocking these calls, Google is able to reduce its access expenses,” which would give the company a major -- and unfair -- advantage over other providers.
Not only that, but AT&T also asserts that Google Voice violates the FCC's net neutrality guidelines, which state that consumers are entitled to competition among network and service providers. According to AT&T, Google breaks these guidelines by “openly flaunting the call-blocking prohibition that applies to its competitors.”
Richard Whitt, Google’s Telecom and Media counsel, said that Google Voice should be allowed to block these calls because it’s not a traditional phone service or service provider, such as AT&T. “Unlike traditional carriers, Google Voice is a free, Web-based software application and not subject to common carrier laws,” Whitt said on a company blog.
Admittedly, Google Voice is not like traditional carriers; it’s a service that centralizes people’s mobile and land-line numbers. According to Whitt, Google Voice was never intended to be a replacement for more traditional phone services. By design, Google Voice is actually incapable of being a traditional phone service, as it requires pre-existing land or wireless lines in order to be utilized.
Some might find it suspicious that this attack was launched by AT&T, while others may find it easy to dismiss this as just one of many current disputes between the two companies. This may, however, run deeper than conflicting views on net neutrality issues. Many industry observers have publicly said that Google’s voice service could become a potential competitor with AT&T, which coincidentally happens to be the iPhone’s exclusive U.S. carrier.
Current Developments
On October 6, AT&T announced that it had made the changes necessary to enable voice over IP (VoIP) iPhone applications to run on their wireless network. Previously, VoIP apps could only work over a Wi-Fi network. Basically, this meant that if you wanted to utilize Skype when calling a friend, you’d have to be connected to a regular Internet wireless network and once out of range, your call would automatically end.
This new development has already got everyone talking about Google’s voice application, but it seems as if AT&T’s recent announcement won’t have any major effect on any of the problems occurring between the warring companies. This is because Google Voice isn't necessarily a VoIP application; the app will use your wireless network minutes.
What the service does is enable its users to manage their voice services online, and unlike a landline, your Google Voice number isn’t locked into your specific geographic location. Also, unlike a cell phone number, a Google Voice number isn’t tied to a specific device. This is exactly why the service is so unlike a VoIP line; it does not correlate with a specific IP address.
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